Statisticians deny Clark two assists in Fever loss to Mystics

Something strange happened in the Friday night matchup between the Indiana Fever and the Washington Mystics.

The Fever scored only nine points in the second quarter, and Aliyah Boston was a non-factor in her second straight game. But the biggest issue came from the statisticians, who refused to award two assists to Caitlin Clark and took a historic achievement from her.

The first play came with less than six minutes left in the Fever's second quarter. Clark drove the lane, drew two defenders, and threw a wraparound pass to Monique Billings, who hit a catch-and-shoot corner three to cut the Mystics' lead to two. Some said the pass was slightly tipped, but even a tipped pass can count as an assist if the scorer believes the original pass led directly to the basket.

The second play came with 30 seconds left in regulation during the Fever's comeback that forced overtime. Clark raced up the floor with the Fever down six, drew a double team on the right side of the arc, and made a shovel pass to Kelsey Mitchell, who made a three. The pass led to the basket, yet no assist was awarded.

Assist decisions are handled by official scorers and statisticians using league guidelines and judgment rather than a written rule in the public rulebook. If the pass leads to a bucket without drastically changing direction or forcing the receiver to make an extra effort, it should be an assist. The league should review and correct the calls.

If corrected, Clark would have the sixth 30-point, 10-assist game in WNBA history and would become the first player to do it twice. She would also keep her record as the fastest player to reach 1,000 points, 250 assists and 250 rebounds in 54 games, breaking Diana Taurasi's mark of 62 games.

The decision also affects bettors who wagered on Clark recording a double-double or going over 9.5 assists. The WNBA should acknowledge and award the assists.